Pilot calendar: BNSF to address oil trains June 10

BNSF Railway and the Whitefish Fire and Police Departments will address the transportation of Bakken oil that passes through Whitefish at a public meeting June 10 in Whitefish. There will be a presentation addressing precautions taken for safe transportation of oil and the types of response that will occur in the event of a rail mishap. The gathering will take place at the O’Shaughnessy Center, 1 Central Ave. Whitefish on June 10 at 7 p.m.

Flathead Valley Youth Volleyball will be holding its youth volleyball camp June 23rd-26th at Whitefish Middle School.

Individual Skills Camp for girls entering grades 8-9 will be from 8:30-11:30 a.m., and Little Diggers Camp for girls entering grades 3-7 will be from 1-3:30 p.m.

Flathead Valley 4 on 4 Volleyball League will begin June 19 and will run Thursday nights 6-8 p.m. through July 24. The league is open to all girls entering grades 9-12 and is a great opportunity for competitive recreational volleyball for athletes around the valley.

Registration forms are available online on the Whitefish High School Volleyball page or at any of the Whitefish Schools. Contact Coach Scott with any questions (805)705-9341.

The Stumptown Art Studio will hold its cultural and art history club meeting Tuesday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to noon. The discussion will be centered on American artist Norman Rockwell as a beginning point to our exploration of history, the person, medium, etc.

Listen, watch and learn about our incredible treasure of local songbirds in the Lazy Creek area north of Whitefish. Join Bruce Tannehill and Gail Cleveland of Flathead Audubon on Saturday, June 7 to search for the American redstart, northern waterthrush, black-headed grosbeak, red-eyed vireo and willow flycatcher. Tannehill has recorded more than 100 bird songs from the Flathead and has an excellent ear for each and every local song. There will be easy walking along existing roads. This is a great opportunity to sort out or just enjoy all those wonderful spring sounds.

Meet at the Whitefish McDonald’s restaurant on Highway 93 at 8 a.m. Participants will return around 11 a.m. For more information, call 862-4548.

The next guided hike on the Whitefish Trail is a guided bird hike on Wednesday, June 4 at 6 p.m. on the Swift Creek portion of the Whitefish Trail.

Bruce Tannehill of Flathead Audubon will lead a walk through sections of old growth forest overlooking Swift Creek followed by a visit to Lazy Creek, a known birding hotspot. Come learn bird songs and meet the sparrows, woodpeckers, warblers and nuthatches that live in the area.

Both novice and experienced birders and families are welcome on this outing. Bring binoculars and sturdy hiking shoes. A spotting scope will be available to see the exquisite details of birds within view.  

Meet at Swift Creek Trailhead at 6 p.m. or at Depot Park near the Whitefish Library at 5:30 p.m. to carpool to the trailhead.

The Whitefish Women of the Moose will hold a “Mexican Magic” dinner on Wednesday, June 11. The dinner is a benefit for the lodge as it continues to support many community functions.

A public open house focused on efforts to preserve Haskill Basin will be Tuesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center. The event is organized by the city of Whitefish, The Trust for Public Land, F. H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Whitefish Legacy Partners.

The Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau will hold a meeting of the board of directors on Monday, June 9 at the Rocky Mountain Lodge. The meeting begins at 3 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. For more information, call 862-3390.

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church will host the Angels Attic rummage sale on June 13-14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 230 Baker Ave. Proceeds go to the Homeless Youth Task Force and St. Charles youth programs. Items can be brought to St. Charles June 2-6 and June 9-12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call Ann Donahue at 862-5139. Items that can’t be accepted include major appliances, TVs, computers, baby cribs, car seats, mattresses, equipment powered by gasoline.

The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the WCVB will host the Summer Tourism Showcase on June 5 from 4-6 p.m., at Grouse Mountain Lodge. Area recreation and activity related businesses will be on hand to inform and answer questions from the frontline staffs of restaurants, hotels and retail shops. There is no charge to attend.

Whitefish Lake Institute hosts a Wetlands Work Day at the Living Wetlands Interpretive Nature Trail on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Work includes trail debris removal, vegetation trimming and fence mending. Wear comfortable clothes, work boots and work gloves. Meet at the trailhead parking area on the new Viking Creek Road on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue, just across the road and slightly south from The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.

Lunch is provided. RSVP by June 4 at 862-4327.

Open since July of 2013, the wheelchair friendly trail is available to the public to learn about the history, science, and beauty of the area, and to get a glimpse into the lives of the wildlife with which we share this land.

Developing and maintaining the trail network requires the ongoing commitment of WLI, the proceeds of our annual Whitefish Wine Auction fundraising event, and the help of many volunteers.

The Big Sky Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society presents Whitefish Woody Weekend III on June 27-29. The event, hosted by the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, will feature 37 classic wood boats from all over the Pacific Northwest, including six award winners from the 2013 ACBS International Show.

There will be a wood boat cruise around Whitefish Lake on June 27 at 8 p.m. Boats will be on public display June 28 at the Lodge between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The boats will participate in a poker run around Whitefish Lake on June 28. The events are free and open to the public.

Event organizers are looking for volunteers who would be interested in manning their dock as one of the card stops in the Sunday morning poker run. If you have a dock on Whitefish Lake and would like to participate in the event by manning a card stop, please contact Tim Salt at 862-5085.

The Flathead Valley Community College Art Department will present Big Night 4, an event to raise funds for student scholarships for its seventh annual Semester in Venice program, June 12.

Last year’s event raised a record $20,000 and provided six students with La Serenissima Scholarships ranging from $3,500 to $6,000 to help fund their study abroad expenses in Venice this spring. The scholarships are given to students in need who otherwise would not have the opportunity to participate in the program.

The event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Arts and Technology Building on the college’s Kalispell campus.

Tickets are $75 per person, $40 of which is tax deductible. Guests must be at least 21 years of age unless accompanied by an adult. Proceeds will benefit the La Serenissima Scholarship program. For additional event information or to purchase tickets, visit www.fvcc.edu/bignight.html or call 756-3632.

A hula show featuring Hawaiian musicians “KAMANAWA” from Oahu is planned for June 21 from 7-9 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center. Presented by Hula School Halau Ka Waikahe Lani Malie and Halau Kahulaliwai of Kalispell. Experience authentic Hawaiian hula dancing and music. Dancers will present the show featuring traditional ancient dances remembering Pele the fire goddess as well as modern dances representing the Hawaiian Islands paradise. Advanced tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for students/children. Tickets are available at The Paper Chase in Kalispell and Crystal Winters in Whitefish. For more information go to http://www.hulamontana.com/

The Whitefish Community Foundation is accepting grant applications for the 2014 Community Grant Program. Funding guidelines are available on the Foundation’s website at www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org. Grants will be submitted online this year through a web-based application. Nonprofits can apply for up to $6,000 in funding for programs, capital needs and services. Applications must be submitted online by May 30 by 3 p.m.

In 2013, 65 nonprofit organizations received over $191,000 in funding through the Community Grant Program. Nonprofits must be current 501(c) organizations in good standing with the IRS to apply.

Funding priority goes to organizations based in Whitefish or organizations providing services to the Whitefish community. Grant awards will be announced at the Nov. 7 awards presentation.

For more information about the Whitefish Community Foundation’s grant programs contact Linda at 406-863-1781 or linda@whitefishcommunityfoundation.org.

North Valley Music School will host a variety of camps this summer. Camps include “Play Guitar,” “Nature through Keyboards and Crafts,” “Sing Your Socks Off,” “Theatre Arts; Creating a Character,” “Rock Camp” for juniors 9-15 and adults 16-95+, “Twinkle and Fiddle Camps,” “Play Bluegrass,” and “Play Ukulele.” Camp Festival Amadeus held simultaneously with The Glacier Symphony and Choral’s Festival Amadeus is a chamber music camp for early intermediate and advanced youth musicians from age 13-18. North Valley Music School is Montana’s only nonprofit music school. For detailed information call the school at 862-8074